Lightless
by Praedyth
Summary: The struggle against the darkness is the only thing a Guardian has ever known. But when the struggle becomes nothing more than a losing battle and a Guardian gives into the shadows, they have lost the light and become Taken. And those lost to the darkness become a great threat and a terrible ally to the dark. [GUARDIANxORYX] [GUARDIANxGUARDIAN] [Eventually Rated M]


**I. MEMORY**

"In that last moment she seemed as wholly luminescent as the Sun, and I wished to be so brave."

* * *

It begins with what every Guardian feels: pain.

The first breath of rebirth, the feeling of quick jagged breaths that pump through reliving lungs as they struggle against comprehension. They hurt but they are comforting, warm even. The coldness of death dissipates with every quick intake and though confusing it is welcomed. It's painful but it is enough to keep the life flowing in a very young and a very green Guardian as their Ghost ushers them into a hard, cruel world.

These are first memories, the memories that most Guardians cling dearly to as there isn't much else to cling to. Many Guardians revere these beginnings as humble but in truth they are more than just that. They are a Guardian's drive in a world so desperately wrong, their reason for keeping on. They are brief but beloved, held close to one's heart when there's not much else to hold onto.

And for all the Guardian's that hold the light close to their beginning there are those who resent their rebirth.

These Guardians are unspoken of, hushed into myth, as their very existence frightens even the strongest of light bearers. For the very darkness they fight against pollutes their hearts and eventually they succumb to the evil. These Guardians are the corrupt and lost souls the Traveler had forsaken upon their awakening, they are the lost.

And they fight against the light and seek to destroy their creator.

* * *

In a brief moment it is there, and then it is not.

The feeling is cold and it is hollow, it bites and claws against the heart and soul as if it were a rabid, caged beast. These are a certain warlock's beginning memories and they are fleeting like shadows against candlelight. They are sharp too, just like broken glass on the floor. These drove the warlock mad as she tried to grasp against what may or may not have been. The sound of her heart pounding against her chest brought her back, if even for just a moment, and though breathing the cold night air settled her for just a moment it was just as unsettling. Somewhere in the distance the sound of a few guardian's laughing made her buckle against the railing of the tower. It hurt but it saved her from completely falling down. Light forsake it, Darkness take her, something needed to give in.

Beneath the calm exterior there was a void of pain however. It was as large as the sky had been and darker even still. These memories were like stars that flash in and out. They are all dim and not a single one stood out, a hard acceptance for a traveler so lost in this reformed life. The warlock stood back up prim in spite of her inner turmoil and though lovely to the eye there was a quake in her body that racked her limbs. It was a struggle but she made sure to use the railing for support.

In recent days the darkness became her only solitude against the shaking. She could lose herself in the shadows and it made her feel a little more sane, like it understood and comforted her. The shaking drove her mad more than the lack of her mind though. It was as if she was no longer herself, as if what little memory she had was all that she was. That was the hard part to reassure herself against. Maybe she was fighting a losing battle and it made her weak to fend against it.

With her fingers gripping the railing, her fingers tight like a bird of prey holding a dying rodent, the warlock concentrated upon the darkness. Her fingers tightened as the thought became like a headache. "Don't be so weak," the words slipped through pale blue lips with a sharp, curt snarl. "You're better than this. What's wrong with you?"

Then beneath the pale moonlight, beneath the Traveler, and beneath the endless dark night, the warlock found her peace. It was cold and the shaking stilled as sweet asylum wormed it's way into her heart as if it were a parasite. There was a weakness that made her feel sick. The nothing of her mind felt so sweet and so bitter. It was hollow but the darkness let her breath calmly once more. The darkness made her feel whole again...

And then there was a voice, pure like sunshine through clouds.

"Soleil, are you alright?"

With a quick turn of her head and a deep furrow of her brow, pale eyes met another set of eyes like starlight. The warlock's heart raced differently this time as the other woman brushed a cascade of black behind her ear. She was a hunter, beautiful and lethal, and a friend that had left her behind in her time of need. A sting of poison bit her tongue as the two stood quietly. Funny how Falere showed up like she never really left at all.

"Nothing to concern yourself with, Falere. So do yourself a favor and drop the facade, it's pathetic." Soleil responded with a strained sense of pride. The other Awoken shifted to cement her place as their eyes stared one another down. In the distance the sound of laughing once again echoed against the walls of the tower, the feeling of needles dancing against the back of Soleil's neck. It hurt the warlock's heart more than anything, however.

"There's no need to suffer alone," Falere said softly, ignoring the biting stings that Soleil's words intended to inflict. "I know that it may not seem like it considering the past but I am still your friend. I am here for you."

Suddenly a feeling of anger erupted within the heart of the warlock, the feeling of a blunt blow to the heart between her two beating lungs aching wildly. The fire of pain burned and it forced the woman to push herself off of the railing to stand tall and proud. "My _friend_?" Soleil asked with a spout of hurt. "Would a _friend_ leave the other in their time of need? Would a friend abandon them in their grief?"

A pained silence lingered as Soleil grew closer to the hunter, her eyes growing pale and wild. "You left when we suffered and now you want to make it better? No wonder why you like Rhylek so much, you're perfect for one another. So _pathetically_ perfect."

The memories left an ache then. They were flashes but still memories, and painful ones at that. Without even knowing it Soleil's fists had tightened and her eyes began to water from the rage that she felt. But Falere, dear Falere, was ever the calm that had been the storm they called Soleil. Standing like a statue the hunter woman shook her head and the black of her hair fluttered. "Whether you see it or not, I was not the only one who was there when we lost him."

Somewhere in the dark pits the flashes stung like a winter storm. There was a voice calling to her, it was deep and it made the darkness hum like a sweet spell. A gloved hand reached upward as the memories of that moment struggled to resurface itself. It was cruel and everything in her body told her not to think about it. It was maddening and Soleil felt her heart ache.

"Leave me! Begone!" the warlock shouted as she pushed against the hunter. Confused by the sudden outburst, Falere turned to watch as Soleil ran through the couple of titans that had gone silent to listen to the two women talk. There was a light question among them, even more so by Falere, and though deeply troubled by her friend's rage she had stood silent. There were things to think upon before approaching her once more. This was a mistake and she had regretted it now.

But event still, far beyond the pain and the pride, Falere felt a change in the air that had yet to make itself known. The eyes of pure starlight drifted upwards to gaze out towards the endless sky. There was a recollection of her birth then, the feeling of caution that made her who she had been as a guardian and a driving force of the light. Recently she had lacked this caution and forethought which had caused situations like these. It was a curious thing as it favored a darker note. Something was coming, something bigger than the threats that they had always struggled against, and it had all the guardians on edge. Whether it was spoken of or not, they could all feel a change in the ebb of the light.

In truth she didn't resent Soleil the way that Soleil had resented her. She felt sorry, really. A deep pity that caused a clench in her own fists at the very thought. That was not the friend she had known back when they were a team. Whoever she had just spoken to was a victim to the change that was coming.

And whatever was coming had caused the light in all the guardians to feel threatened, _strained_.

"Chorus?" the hunter asked softly which had been responded with a flash of light. Suddenly her Ghost flitted about with a curious hover, the large eye staring intently at his Guardian who in return met his eye.

"Yes, madame?" he asked with a gentle bob. He was ever a polite, kind Ghost.

"Take me to where the light begins to fade, where the Darkness waits." Falere requested provoking a certain hesitation from her faithful companion. Just like his madame, they both sported a cautious second thought that kept them out of trouble. For the most part, really.

"Might I suggest how dangerous of a thou-"

"I know," Falere said as she cut him off before he could convince her otherwise. "but we must."

In spite of their better judgement the Ghost reluctantly agreed to do her bidding. It was stupid to say that Falere hadn't been scared of the very idea but there was a calling in her that urged her to go. The very same that urged her to check up on Soleil. The hunter prayed to the Traveler for a better outcome but there was no telling what was about to happen. Little did Falere know, however, the Darkness had a new champion to fight for it's cause. It tread upon the stars as it came looking for the light that stole it's son.

And it was angry without mercy.


End file.
